In response to the interest generated by new printing technology launched at PacPrint earlier this year, Currie Group invited printers to a 'live' experience.
Currie Group's 'LIVE' Open House sessions in Melbourne last week showcased a range of equipment which the company says can help print service providers expand their offering and multiply the value of their print products exponentially.
Over three days, the company opened its Melbourne showroom to a steady stream of interested groups, keen to take advantage of the opportunity for a more personal, hands-on look at the technology they had seen at PacPrint.
“PacPrint generated a huge amount of interest for us but it’s a very busy environment with a lot of people coming through at the one time,” said Currie Group sales & marketing director, Phillip Rennell. “Currie LIVE gives us the opportunity for our customers to have a closer, more in-depth look at the technology, and how it can add value to their business.”
"In today’s market, we have a situation where the print buyer is looking for the point of difference, the edge that print can deliver over competing channels. Innovation is the key to delivering that value through product diversity, customisation, embellishment and other key value-adds which not only deliver better value to the customer, but are also the key to achieving the kind of margins which drive success for print service providers.”
As the name suggests, the event was characterised by job production ‘on the fly’, with a wide variety of jobs shown in production on a suite of the latest technology, including HP the new HP Indigo 12000 digital press and the Scodix UltraPro with Foil station.
For printers of packaging, the demonstrations on the Scodix equipment were an ideal opportunity for many to consider the potential of embellishment to help enhance the value of their products – and to get a close look at the technology ahead of the company’s official release of the machine’s ‘big brother’, the Scodix E106 B1 enhancement press which is to be launched in Germany next month.
Currie’s Scodix product specialist Gil Cortes and Lior Meron, President of Scodix for Asia Pacific, were on hand to explain the capabilities to printers.
“These machines have been enormously popular in the market since drupa because of their demonstrated return on investment,” Meron said, adding that the technology was particularly popular in the packaging market, where product embellishment can add enormous value to shelf-appeal.
“We are pleased to be here to talk to Australian and New Zealand printers in more detail about the technology and how it can open the door to increased profitability for a wide range of commercial work from posters and greeting cards, to magazine and book printing, packaging and converting applications, and even products like plastic loyalty cards.”
Customisation – showcased so popularly at PacPrint with personalised shrink sleeve wine labels produced on stand on the HP Indigo WS6800 Digital Press – was also a feature, with HP’s Daniel Blau on hand to discuss the Mosaic application, which plugs in to InDesign or Illustrator to create a SmartStream Designer, which can create an almost limitless range of personalisation options which are already in use by major brands around the world to drive product promotion through customer engagement, special limited editions and other marketing campaigns.
Complementing the larger flagship machines was a range of other finishing technology from Horizon including an SPF 200L booklet maker, BQ-280 PUR perfect binder, HT 30C on-demand trimmer, APG-610 paper cutter, AFC-566 FKT cross-folder and CRF 362 crease and fold unit, and a Foliant Taurus 530 SF laminator.
“It’s been fantastic to meet with a wide range of businesses over the past few days, to discuss how the right technology can not only allow them to expand their offering to their customer base, but to exponentially increase the value of their print and the margins they can achieve,” said Phil Rennell as his team put the equipment through its paces for visitors.
“Every business is different, so each will require a tailored solution to suit their specific requirements. Events like Currie LIVE are a great opportunity for us to showcase the options to our clients, and help them determine how the latest technologies can complement their particular business strengths and focus, and enhance their success.”
